What is your dream job? If you could do any job in the world (or outside it) and get paid enough to live comfortably, what would you do?

And while you should use your imagination and think big, also keep it realistic. For example, don't say astronaut if you are blind. But even if you are unfit currently, feel free to say astronaut if you feel that with the right support/time/help, you could become fit enough and be able to do that job.

Also keep in mind the negatives of any "dream job". Sure being a rock star sounds great, but there is still a lot of pressure and commitment to keep being successful.

So anyways, here is mine.

I'd like to head up a large research and development company doing work in fringe/future sciences. Managing and being involved in a variety of projects ranging from anything like exo-skeletons, to space travel/colonisation to medical cures. I love inventing and problem solving and coming up with wild and wonderful solutions, but i also hate doing all the boring leg-work. So thats why i'd like to run teams of talented people to get their thoughts and have them do the boring work. :)There would still be some hard work and deadlines and making hard decisions, but i think the day to day work would be worth it.

So yeah, thats mine. Whats yours?

p.s. You don't need to say some big fancy job. If your dream job is to just feed homeless people and help charities (yet be paid enough to buy a house/car/etc), then thats cool too.

Captain of the USS Enterprise - Star Trek =D Or in today's time, Ive been thinking a Captain of a Big ship like a Cruise Ship or something along them lines would be pretty sweat.. However i am a dead s*** and to dumb so that will never happen.

Maker of stuff. I'd have a factory full of machines (not terminators, I mean lathes, benders, guillotines) and just sit there all day making stuff. Custom choppers (bikes, not helicopters), gokarts, fancy tables, whatever the hell else my imagination came up with.

Mine is a bit like TicMan except in Science. A not for profit company that that, instead of the standard waste 2 months on an application and pray you will get a grant, to one where we find researches from all over the world who have great ideas and great skills and supply them with initial funds to get them underway and in the game.

Troy Buswell? If you don't know who he is, he's a WA pollie that got away with sniffing a female pollies seat and making a derogatory remark at her.

Not sure how true it is but supposedly in Guam it is illegal for virgins to marry. So there are jobs where you get to deflower virgins, and you get paid for it. Probably stiff competition for those jobs.

Programming, but with success. (the current missing ingredient in my programming job)

Developing AI.

Developing a fully featured cross-field software platform for scientific research. Well optimized, extendible, access to cloud processing, parsers for each major format, every classifier that you can imagine, graphing tools, visualizers, javascript driven web access to results using the same code base with cross compiling, etc.

Full feature porn movies with plots. I have enthusiastic people, just not the equipment, time, money, or transport.

Most people think of Valve as a company that makes video games—and we are. But we also built the software that powers those games and the platform that lets millions of fans play, share, modify, and build communities around more than 1,800 titles. That makes us a full-spectrum entertainment studio. As such, our search for talent has taken us beyond the game industry and into the fields of architecture, economics, psychology, and industrial design. We’re not just growing. We’re diversifying. Where to next? You tell us. We’re after talented people with original ideas and the passion to realize them.

After watching Gabe Newell talk at some university in America, I really wanted to work at valve and I'm a microbiologist! (checkout their "Have a better idea" link).

I'll be a professional wet t-shirt contest judge if we're talking pie in the sky type jobs.Otherwise a nice dev/dba job working with the latest cool tech and not decades old/difficult garbage systems would be my dream job.

I would love to be the guy in charge of shutting down government departments and making people redundant.

in that case, i change my mind. id like to be the guy investigating whether current and former lnp/coalition politicians had used their political positions to further their business interests in obvious conflicts of interest or straight up illegal dealings, or even just providing contracts and jobs for special friends.

I saw this just now and had to share.... I often wish I was in a position say something similar, and I hope one day I can (minus the boss trying to kill you bit).

for those who can't read the link it goes like this:

There have been some great posts in this thread, I'll give you a little story about myself and how I now have my own company and I am extremely happy.

To start never say never, when I was young I seen a tv add, it was about family issues, divorce, abuse, sexual abuse, drug abuse, abandonment, homeless issues. I said to myself that will never happen to me and my family. Little did I realise that I can now tick every box on that list as my life progressed. I was a intelligent child attended a private school and had a prosperous future ahead, then like a cruel joke, the cascade of that list started. My parents got divorced, I was sent to Alice Springs N.T to a terrible public school, teaching curriculum that was 3 years behind what I was learning at my previous school, I excelled with ease but was never challenged and lost all desire to succeed as the school would not put me up to the year lvl required to challenge me, I was 12yrs old.

After 1 year at this school after multiple attempts to raise my curriculum the principal of the school suggested I sit my higher education certificate for entry into a trade as he new I would not get the support in the education system I needed.

I sat the test and passed with a yr 11 equivalency score and was allowed to leave school and seek full time employment.

This is where the real story starts, I was 13, I entered the work force and became exposed to drug abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse. I was working on station 500km away from any civilisation, where I ultimately managed to escape thanks to a man I will respect until the day I die. My employer tried to murder myself and this man when we escaped. I say escaped because this was very much the truth.

These incidents led to a chronic drug abuse problem which led on for another 8 yrs of my life, this ultimately led me to being homeless.

Now along this journey I met people of all walks of life and learnt many valuable lessons which all account for who I am today, the biggest was never judge people as you can be utterly amazed at what and who some people are, on the surface may seem like an idiot or great person but this was far from the truth.

Along this path I had finished a trade as a roof tiler, I loved the job as it had excitement and satisfaction at what I had performed, ultimately I had Injured myself being uncappable of being able to continue that career.

After this I worked many jobs trying to find my calling, I had married and my first child was coming, when I met a guy that saw massive potential and intellect in myself. He gave me a job in the oil and gas industry where I was able to apply my intellect in catholic protection systems and project management.

After a few years I left that company to work for one our sub contractors where I gained experience in ground penetrating radar technology and geophysics, I had found my career. I was amazed and astounded it was like magic being able to see under the ground. I honed my skills and studied hard. My employer then handed the company over to his daughter which ultimately led to me leaving that company.

I then took the biggest risk ever and started my own company, I invested everything my family had, things were tough but I persisted and loved my job, we nearly went bankrupt but faced the challenges head on worked 15 hrs a day 7 days a week, I then surrounded myself with great people who had excellent experience, I now have a company with over 500,000 in assets and a turn over of over 1.5 million a year. The same guy that got me my job in oil and gas is now one of my employees.

Now I'm an employer and learning a different game, managing people. You must learn to work to people strengths, my view is different to everyone else, but through understanding other people's mind set and aligning them with my companies goals we are achieving great things.

I hope you can gain something from my story, life is hard, life is amazing, the biggest risk you will take in your life is not taking the risks. Find something you love, this can be a challenge but by taking these risks everyday you will stumble on your calling then its your choice what you do from there. You are responsible for your situation in life, this world is yours for whatever you want to make of it. Never underestimate or judge people, don't strive for money, strive for what you love the money follows, be good to everyone around you even the idiots and wankers they will learn from how you handle and conduct yourself. You will attract great people by the way carry yourself and how you view and treat others, be professional yet have a good heart, don't try to make money off people, try to help them solve problems money will come by being true to yourself and everyone else. Aim to be a meek person and family is the most important thing in this life.

NEVER SAY NEVER.

It's a universe of infinite possibilities. My best of luck to whatever you choose to do with your life. __________________

in that case, i change my mind. id like to be the guy investigating whether current and former lnp/coalition politicians had used their political positions to further their business interests in obvious conflicts of interest or straight up illegal dealings, or even just providing contracts and jobs for special friends.

What is your dream job? If you could do any job in the world (or outside it) and get paid enough to live comfortably, what would you do?

I'd like to run the family farm... though I'd revision it via an international entity that can see the way to see the property producing (legal) pharmaceutical crops instead of being stuck as cattle land as is the current state of affairs.

Essentially, I'd like to be a federally endorsed drug dealer... though I'm fully aware that only *special* Australians are allowed to do that

Failing my "stuff maker" job, I wouldn't mind being some sort of pro photographer. Forget the fact that I'm useless at taking any kind of interesting pictures (lets pretend I am good at it), I reckon it'd be awesome to travel the world taking photos of different places, people, objects, etc for magazines, TV ads, whatever.

Probably why up to now i keep changing jobs when i hit the 12 month mark.

Currently in a job i've worked the longest in. I have a pretty big say in how the company makes decisions thanks to it being a small company. It is really rewarding to see them take my advice and see the rewards really strongly pay off 3-6 months later.

Up to now, that's all i really wanted, a job i could have influence in so it also was *my* job as well as a job. I dream of owning a business but i also see all the business owners i know and go "I don't want to be them" and i don't know how to avoid it yet :) when i do, i'll maybe go into it. Or not, i'll see how this job goes for a bit longer.

I think 90% of people wanting a better job is the wrong attitude in their current one. Because its really easy to move to a new job which is exciting at the beginning when you're learning new processes and integrating into the social sides, but quickly as soon as some people really start getting frustrated with small things they blow out of proportion how bad things are without just changing their attitude.

I'm that 90% every job i've held up until now (except maybe one job..). Got angry at management? Quit. Didn't like how the company made the same mistakes over and over? Quit. Etc. The one job i legitimately quit from was one where they reduced my hours by half and reduced the employee's to 1.. when i started there were 3 full timers doing the same role, with the workload spread between them.. i got good and when one left they didn't need to replace her, but when it became only me, on 20 hours a week, doing 3 people's 40 hours worth of work i lasted 3 weeks and quit the day they gave me an official warning because something was overlooked. Like no f*****g s***. They ignored my warning that i didn't have enough time. And bam.

I am turning 32 this year and have no honest opinion about what I want to pursue. I envy those who can answer it and have some direction to pursue. If you aren't sure what you want to do but you have an inkling of something to follow - just go with it and see what happen aye. Nothing to lose.

just wanted to let you know that i know them feels bro. i honestly don't have a f*****g clue, but would love to.

I help run and maintain 10 or so Dayz private hives and get enough money from doing so i dont have to do anything else but play Dayz all day and night, there is some headaches of course but its pretty much a dream job. BRING ON THE STANDALONE!!

Cooking is a good occupation - the only problem is the hours! Nights and weekends is when it happens.

Absolutely, I had a reasonable service industry career that I abandoned for code monkey lifestyle for this reason. Not having structured work nights/weekends is sssooo good I still appreciate it 10 years or more later.